Jamie Samuelsen's blog: It'll be tough for Pistons to do anything to invigorate fanbase

July 4, 2013

By Jamie Samuelsen

Detroit Free Press Special Writer

Jamie Samuelsen, co-host of the “Jamie and Wojo” show at 6 p.m. weekdays on WXYT-FM (97.1), blogs for freep.com. His opinions do not necessarily reflect those of the Detroit Free Press nor its writers. You can reach him at jamsam22@gmail.com, follow him on Twitter @jamiesamuelsen and read more of his opinions at freep.com/jamie.

What, if anything, could the Pistons do this summer to electrify the fan base?

If new Pistons coach George Karl had sat at the podium last Friday and introduced the newest Pistons point guard, Trey Burke, it’s safe to say that more than a few fans would have taken notice.

Instead, we got Maurice Cheeks and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, and the long slumber continues.

I disagree with Joe Dumars choice of Caldwell-Pope (I would have taken Burke), but I agree with his sentiment that it’s not his job to sell tickets or choose the most popular players. He’s 100% correct that a popular move creates a buzz that lasts only 24 hours, and then he has to go back to the business of filling out a roster. What he failed to mention that when the popular pick is also the correct pick, it can create a buzz that lasts decades. I believe Burke will be that kind of pick. Dumars doesn’t.

But if that’s his philosophy, let’s hope the he can apply it to the rest of the offseason as well. Free agency started earlier this week and as of yet, there have been no major announcements. Contracts can’t be signed until July 10, but reports of new deals usually start to leak out by now. If you go by the rumors, reports and conversations, the Pistons are leading the pack in terms of activity. And they’re also working without any sort of salary structure.

In the past week alone, the Pistons have been linked to free agents Josh Smith of Atlanta and Andre Iguodala of Denver. They’ve also reportedly discussed trades for Boston’s Rajon Rondo and Toronto’s Rudy Gay. Is that it? Nope. They’ve reportedly opened negotiations with their own free agent guard Will Bynum and were at least interested in Clippers guard Eric Bledsoe before he was dealt on Tuesday as part of a three-team deal between Phoenix, Milwaukee and L.A.

Credit Dumars with allowing the Pistons to be a player in free agency, thanks in large part to the shrewd deal that sent Tayshaun Prince to Memphis in January, ironically the same deal that sent Gay to Toronto. But until he actually pulls a trigger on a deal, we can’t be sure how serious these talks are. Fans would love to see the Pistons combine Rodney Stuckey, Charlie Villanueva and a draft pick to unearth a player like Gay or Rondo. But you have to remember that trades tend to be two-way streets. And unless Dumars is willing to part with Andre Drummond or Greg Monroe, which I seriously doubt that he is, the odds of getting a player the caliber of Rondo are slim. Remember fans, just because a player is unappealing to you, it doesn’t automatically make that player appealing to another team. Even though this is the NBA, not all GM’s are prone to making stupid moves.

As for the free agents who are out there, color me unimpressed. This reminds me a little of the summer of 2009 when the Pistons had a ton of cap room in a mediocre free agent class. As a result, they bid against themselves for the most part and landed Villanueva and Ben Gordon. I’d hate to see Dumars do the same thing this summer and spend just because he’s able to do so. There’s nothing that says that they have to make a move. You have to ask yourself: What would a free agent really do for this team as it sits right now?

Josh Smith? Doesn’t this guy reek of the quintessential NBA free agent with a load of talent and a lack of motivation who’s just chasing a big deal? Smith has never been an All-Star. He’s never averaged 20 points or 10 rebounds over a single season. His scoring average went down this past season even though Joe Johnson bolted Atlanta for the Brooklyn Nets. Whatever team signs Smith will regret doing so in two or three years. He just seems destined for a bad, fat contract.

Iguodala? He’s also a nice player. Also has never averaged 20 points in a season. He did make the All-Star team two seasons ago for the Sixers. But he’s never emerged into that star player that he looked like he’d be early in his career. He does a lot of things well and doesn’t excel in any one area. He’d be a perfect addition to a title contender, but also seems like a stretch for the Pistons.

Rudy Gay? Doesn’t it bother anyone else that the Grizzlies surprised the basketball world by dealing Gay and actually got better as a result. They essentially exchanged Gay for Prince and went to the Western Conference finals. If that’s not a red flag for basketball fans, I don’t know what is.

Rondo is a game-changer. I find the Rondo possibility so preposterous, I tend to downplay it. The question here is Celtics GM Danny Ainge. He’s clearly rebuilding and collecting draft picks and cap space to make the transition from good-to-bad-to-good as short and painless as possible. If he’s willing to take on expiring contracts and draft picks, the Pistons are the team. But if Rondo is on the market, I have to think Ainge can do much better than whatever Detroit is offering. He can be frustrating and mercurial, but when Rondo is on, he’s as good as any point guard and right up with any player in the game. If you want to talk about reviving a fan base, Rondo would do that. It just seems like such a long shot to me.

I love the fact that Dumars is thinking bold. I know I mocked him a bit about the whole Tom Gores “be impactful” slogan with respect to his pick of Cheeks. I don’t think the Caldwell-Pope fits that bill, either. But signing a big money guy isn’t necessarily impactful. Often times it’s wasteful and detrimental. In some ways, Dumars is playing with house money. Why not go all in and see what he can do in the final year of his contract? That’s great for him, but scary for Pistons fans who could be left sitting at the table with no chips in front of them.